PPT - Writing a Book Review & Book Report

8/10/2019 PPT - Writing a Book Review & Book Report

1/33

Writing a

BOOK REVIEW and aBOOK REPORT


2/33

PLENARY DISCUSSION

Share with the class whatbooks you have read or

perused:

Voluntarily As a requirement in school

Be ready to discuss the following: The book title

What is was about

What ideas you acquired from the


3/33


4/33

Summary or Review?

A book reviewis distinct from a

book summaryin that it demands

an analysis of and reaction tocontent that a summary does not.

Whereas a summary is a report of

what is written, a review bothreports on and evaluates a book.


5/33

BOOK

REVIEW typically evaluatesrecently-

written works

BOOKREPORT

discussesa book from anobjective stance, i.e.

commonly describes what

happens in a work offers a brief description of

the texts key points and

provides a short appraisal

of the strengths and

weaknesses of the work

is most often a college

assignment, but it also

appears in manyprofessional works:

magazines, newspapers,

and academic journals typically ranges from 500-

750 words,but may belonger or shorter

focuses more on asummaryof the work than

an evaluation of it

its focus is primarily on

giving an account of themajor plot, characters,

and/or main idea of the

work

most often ranges from 250

to 500 words


6/33

Writing a Book

Review


7/33

The Function of a Book

Review Your review should do 3 things:

Describe what is on the book

Analyze how the book tried to achieve its

purpose Express your own reactions to the book.


8/33

Ways to Approach your Book

Review

Outlinethe contents of the book Evaluate and make critical commentson

the book

Use quotations or references to the newideas in the book to illustrate your theme

Compare the book with a similar workby a

contemporary

Point out the author's intentions, including

the audience for which the book is intended

Relate the workto a social or literary trend


9/33

Before You Read

Before you begin to read, consider theelements you will need to include in

your review. The following items may

help:

Author

Who is the author?

What else has s/he written?

Has this author won any awards?

What is the authors typical style?


10/33

Genre:

What type of book is this: fiction,

nonfiction, romance, poetry, youthfiction, etc.?

Who is the intended audience for thiswork?

What is the purpose of the work?

Title:

Where does the title fit in?

How is it applied in the work?

Does it adequately encapsulate the

message of the text? Is it interesting?


11/33

Preface/Introduction/Table of

Contents: Does the author provide any revealing

information about the text in the

preface/introduction? Does a guest author provide the

introduction?

What judgments or preconceptions dothe author and/or guest author

provide?

How is the book arranged: sections,

cha ters?


12/33

Book Jacket/Cover/Printing:

Book jackets are like mini-reviews. Does the book jacket provide

any interesting details or spark

your interest in some way? Are there pictures, maps, or

graphs?

Do the binding, page cut, ortypescript contribute or takeaway from the work?


13/33

As You Read

As you read, determine how you willstructure the summary portion or

background structure of your review. Be

ready to take notes on the books key

points, characters, and/or themes.

Characters:

Are there characters in the work? Who are the principle characters?

How do they affect the story? Do you

empathize with them?


14/33

Themes/Motifs/Style: What themes or motifs stand out? How do they contribute to the work? Are they effective or not? How would you describe this authors

particular style?

Is it accessible to all readers or justsome?

Argument: How is the works argument set up? What support does the author give for

her/his findings?

Does the work fulfill its purpose/supportits ar ument?


15/33

Key Ideas:

What is main idea of the work? What makes it good, different, or

groundbreaking?

Quotes:

What quotes stand out?

How can you demonstrate theauthors talent or the feel of the book

through a quote?


16/33

When You Are Ready to Write

Begin with a short summary orbackground of the work, but do notgive too much away, i.e. give

information about the first couple ofchapters or lead the reader up to therising action of the work.

The final portion of your review willdetail your opinion of the work.


17/33

When you are ready to begin yourreview, consider the following:

Establish a Background, Rememberyour Audience: Remember that your audience has

not read the work; with this in mind,

be sure to introduce characters andprinciples carefully and deliberately. What kind of summary can you

provide of the main points or maincharacters that will help your readersgauge their interest?

Does the authors text adequatelyreach the intended audience?

Will some readers be lost or find the

text too easy?


18/33

Minor principles/characters:Dealonly with the most pressing issuesin the book. You will not be able tocover every character or idea.

What principles/characters didyou agree or disagree with?

What other things might the

author have researched orconsidered?


19/33

Organize:The purpose of the review isto critically evaluate the text, not just

inform the readers about it. Leave

plenty room for your evaluation byensuring that your summary is brief.

Determine what kind of balance to strike

between your summary information and

your evaluation. Often the ratio is half

and half.


20/33

Your Evaluation:Choose one or afew points to discuss about the book.

What worked well for you?

How does this work compare withothers by the same author or

other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or

terms does the book introduce,

and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an

emotional or logical way?


21/33

Final CopyWhen making the final touches to your

review, carefully verify the following: Double-check the spelling of the author

name(s), character names, specialterms, and publisher.

Try to read from the vantage point ofyour audience.

Is there too much/enough summary? Does your argument about the text

make sense? Should you include direct quotes from

the reading? Do they help support your arguments?

Double-check your quotes for accuracy.


22/33

Writing a Book

Report


23/33

Before You Read

Before you begin to read, considerwhat types of things you will need towrite your book report. First, you willneed to get some basic information

from the book:Author Title Publisher location, name of publisher, year

published Number of pages


24/33

You can either begin your report withsome sort of quotation, or you can

incorporate some of these items into

the report itself.

Next, try to answer the following

questions to get you startedthinking about the book:


25/33

Author:Who is the author? Have youread any other works by this author?

Genre:What type of book is this:fiction, nonfiction, biography, etc.?What types of people would like toread this kind of book? Do you

typically read these kinds of books?Do you like them?


26/33

Title:What does the title do for you? Does

it spark your interest? Does it fit well withthe text of the book?

Pictures/Book Jacket/Cover/Printing:What does the book jacket or book coversay? Is it accurate? Were you excited toread this book because of it? Are there

pictures? What kinds are there? Are theyinteresting?


27/33

As You Read

While reading a work of fiction,keep track of the major characters.

You can also do the same with

biographies. When readingnonfiction works, however, look for

the main ideas and be ready to talk

about them.


28/33

Characters:Who are the maincharacters? What happens to them? Did

you like them? Were there good and badcharacters?

Main Ideas:What is the main idea of thebook? What happens? What did you learnthat you did not know before?

Quotes:What parts did you like best? Arethere parts that you could quote to make

your report more enjoyable?


29/33

When You Are Ready to Write

Announce the book and author.Then, summarize what you have

learned from the book. Explain

what happens in the book, anddiscuss the elements you liked, did

not like, would have changed, or if

you would recommend this book toothers and why. Consider the

following items as well:


30/33

Principles/characters:What elementsdid you like best? Which characters didyou like best and why? How does theauthor unfold the story or the main idea of

the book?

Organize: Make sure that most of yourpaper summarizes the work. Then you

may analyze the characters or themes ofthe work.


31/33

Your evaluation:Choose one or a fewpoints to discuss about the book.What worked well for you? How doesthis work compare with others by thesame author or other books in the samegenre? What major themes, motifs, orterms does the book introduce, and howeffective are they? Did the book appealto you on an emotional or logical way?


32/33

Recommend:Would you recommendthis book to others? Why? What would

you tell them before they read it?

What would you talk about after youread it?


33/33

Final Copy

Do a quick double check of your

paper:

Double-check the spelling of the authorname(s), character names, special

terms, and publisher. Check the punctuation and grammar

slowly.

Make sure you gave enough summaryso that your reader or instructor can tellyou read the book.

Consider adding some interesting

quotes from the reading

Documents

PPT - Writing a Book Review & Book Report